King James Public House
An information board on the King James public house in Kinnoull Street tells the story of the murder of James I and more. See also Blackfriars Monastery
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04/12/2023
Medieval period
Pillory
The site of the old Pillory is marked by this stone marker at the foot of the High Street near the River Tay. It is reported to have fallen out of use by 1786. It was situated close to the city tollbooth, the local prison presumably in order to detain prisoners before being taken to the platform on which the pillory was mounted and being secured into it. . (Penny’s Tradition of Perth. 1836).
04/12/2023
The Monks Tower
One of the carved alcoves in the flood defence wall on Tay Street tells of the Monks Tower. The Monks Tower was situated in the south-east corner of the gardens of Gowrie House and jutted out over the river. The tower acted as a lookout post, working in tandem with the Spey Tower to defend the southern approaches to Perth. The Tower later served as an ammunition store prior while Gowrie House was being used as a barracks prior to its demolition at the end of the 18th century.
04/12/2023
The Gowrie House and Conspiracy
The large plaque on the front of the Sherriff Court in Tay Street records the events of the 5th August 1600 when an attempt was made on the life of James VI. The Gowrie House was built in 1520 by the Countess of Huntly who later sold it to the Ruthven family. After the Gowrie conspiracy the Ruthven family, who were considered responsible for the attack on the king, forfeited the building which was then held jointly by the Murrays of Stormont and Perth Town Council. Charles II stayed in Gowrie House after his Scottish coronation in Scone in 1651 before departing for Worcester. After the Restoration he returned in 1663 to be entertained in Gowrie House by the Earl of Kinnoull. In 1746 the house was given by Perth Town Council to the Duke of Cumberland who sold it to the Board of Ordinance for use as cavalry barracks until its demolition in 1807. (The Stewart Society) The building occupied an area greater than the County Buildings and the Prison, now a car park, which were erected on the site following the demolition of Gowrie House. The river frontage of the grounds extended for 275 metres from a line beyond…
04/12/2023
South Inch Archery Butts
Originally this bench on the South Inch was a column marking the site of the archery butts on the scholars’ knoll. The knoll was lost during the levelling of the Inch during the 16th century. In the medieval period, towns which were attacked, relied on their citizens for defence which meant regular practice of archery was vital. According to Marshall a second stone, now lost, was sited “500 fathoms” from the first, approx. 1,000 metres. This must give an indication of what was expected from archers. The importance attached to archery can be judged by the setting out of two areas in Perth for archery butts and by Act passed by James I in 1424. The Act that required “That all men busk to be archers fra they be twelve years of age ”and “To play at futeball under the paine of fifty shilling”. Later Kings enforced this act declaring “That in na place there be used futeballis, golf or other unprofitable sports…” . ( The History Of Perth Academy, 1932, E. Smart, p6.) The stone had previously marked the site of the scholars’ knoll midway between Scott Street and Nelson Street. The stone was relocated to its present site during the construction of the…
04/12/2023
Old City Wall
On the north side of the narrow passageway that runs from Skinnergate to George Street a simple plaque indicates what is reputed to be the remains of the old city wall. There is debate on whether this claim is justified. In the 19th century, plaques were sometimes put up based on less information than we would accept to-day. This is undoubtedly an old wall and may rest on the foundations of an even earlier wall which along with the lade, walls provided Perth’s main defence. According to Thomas Hay Marshall the city walls were re-built by Edward I. After the Battle of Falkirk in 1298 Edward I destroyed the walls and fortification in most other Scottish towns. He considered Perth so important that instead of destroying its fortifications, he ordered that the fortifications and the walls be re-built in the strongest possible manner. (Marshall T. H. The History of Perth : From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, 1849. p25) The walls were in turn demolished by Robert the Bruce and then rebuilt by Edward III (1312-1377). The walls were seen as a defence against marauding highlanders but later demolished in a piece meal fashion. It was thought they had been…
03/12/2023
Battle of the Clans
Robert III viewed the Battle of the Clans from the Blackfriars Monastery gardens. The site of the battle in 1396 is marked by a stone plinth on the North Inch opposite the Blackfriars plaque. The staging of the battle of the clans in 1396 was an attempt by King Robert III t to find a solution to a long running feud between Clan Chattan and Clan Kay. The identity of the actual participates has not been firmly established. Clan Chattan was originally called Clan Qwhewyl. The Clan Chattan was a confederation of a number of individual clans, principally the MacIntoshes and the MacPhersons together with others. Clan Kay was originally known as Clan Yha. This clan according to William Skene in his “Highlanders Of Scotland” (1837) might well have included among others, dissident MacPhersons and Camerons who had previously been part of Clan Chattan. The contest was arranged by The Earl of Crawford and the Ear of Moray to prevent a previously local feud over land holdings developing into a larger conflict, involving the entire highlands. As Sir Walter Scott describes it, the clans were to “refer their differences to the fate of the battle”. Thirty warriors from each clan were…
03/12/2023
Perth Castle plaques on North Inch flood gate
There is a plaque on the right-hand side of the flood defence gate entrance to the Memorial Garden, which quite clearly shows a motte and bailey castle close by the river. Judging by this depiction the “motte” or mound on which the castle is built does look vulnerable to flooding from the close by river.
03/12/2023
Perth Castle plaque on North Port
Despite a plaque in North Port giving the date of the destruction of the Castle by flooding as 1210 AD, the 1911 edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica states that the castle was still in existence during the Wars of Independence in the 14th century. In the encyclopaedia Bruce is stated to have attempted to destroy the castle to prevent its use by English armies.
03/12/2023
Water Vennel
Water Vennel runs from the Watergate down to Tay Street. A small plaque near its junction with Tay Street tells of its importance and gives some history of the Gowrie House whose northern boundary was formed by Water Vennel. This was an important access to the river when Gowrie House and its gardens blocked so much of the river frontage.
28/11/2023